>> should i wrap this up? >> yes. well, you know the testimony is over, the arguments, rebuttals and objections and instructions have been heard, and now it's 1:00 p.m. in the east on the fourth of july, and the case of florida versus casey anthony is finally in front of the jury. the defense said the 2-year-old could have been killed accidentally, and then the prosecution says she was dumped in the woods. the family's discovery, she was gone. casey seemingly carefree behavior during that time doesn't prove anything.

>> you have heard in the trial and it has been suggested to you in closing argument by the defense that everybody grieves differently. well, that may certainly be true. everybody grieves differently. >> responses to grief are as varied as the day is long, but responses to guilt are oh, so predictable. what do guilty people do? they lie. they avoid. they run. they mislead. not just their family, but the police.

they divert attention away from themselves, and they act like nothing is wrong. that's why you heard about what happened those 31 days. >> now, casey anthony is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated manslaughter of a child, aggravated child abuse and four counts of lying to police. if convicted of capital murder, the most serious crime, she could face the death penalty. jurors could instead find her guilty of second-degree murder or manslaughter, and they could also find casey anthony not guilty. richard herman is going to come up and talk about thes in and outs of the case. our sound affect is from a court thousands of miles away, a man on trial for thousands of

deaths. he committed genocide in the 1990s. he was arrested in may after 15 years as a wanted man. today in his second appearance, he refused to enter a plea, but had a lot to say otherwise. here's how it went down. >> under count one, mr. mladic, you are charged with genocide, unissuable -- >> caller: no, no, i am not going to listen to this. i am not going to listen to this at all. without my lawyer, i am not going to listen anymore. you're talking in vein. i am not going to listen to anything -- >> mr. mladic, mr. mladic, the court orders that you be removed

from the courtroom. could security -- >> well, the judge ended up entering a not guilty plea on mladic's behalf. now, strauss-kahn facing new problems back home. the chief was released on his own recognizance friday, this after credibility problems by his accuser. the new york hotel maid who said she was sexually assaulted by kaun. now a french lawyer says he is bringing new charges against strauss-kahn on behalf of this woman who says he tried to rape her in 2003. now, a man suspected in connection in numerous killings

in northeastern mexico. the u.s. drug endorsement administration offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. also, mexico, eight people are still missing after a tour boat capsized off the baja, california, peninsula. it was carrying 44 people, half americans, and one person reportedly died. >> it was a 100-foot fishing charter vessel, and it hit rough weather and capsized and sank almost immediately. the boat was close enough to land and some people were able to swim to shore, whereas others were picked up by good samaritans and vessels in the area. >> the u.s. coast guard is helping in the search for the eight missing people. >> there's another apparent hacking incident, this one involving fox news politic,

specifically their twitter feed. overnight somebody posted series of twits falsely claiming obama had been assassinated. foxnews.com says the hacking incident is under investigation and regrets any confusion the tweets might have created. >> this is major blankenship. i am getting ready to deploy to afghanistan, and want to give a shout-out to my daughter, vicky, and son and daughter, and happy fourth of july and love you and miss you all. how'd you do it? eating right, whole grain. [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios... five whole grains, 110 calories.

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well, while they get down to work and finish lunch as the case may be, i want to bring in richard herman, who has been watching the casey anthony trial closely. richard, did the prosecutors prove their case? before you answer that question, i thought there were very powerful points made in the closing. the duct tape was incredible. you could not not listen to the duct tape. >> the three strips of duct tape, that's how you know it was murder. it was intentional, because it was three strips, not one. and that was very powerful. and they are not enjoying their lunch right now. the defense attorneys, they are not having a good lunch. it was closed out pretty strong today by both prosecutors. more importantly, what ashton

said was even if you find that it wasn't premeditated, which we believe it is, but if you find it was an accidental overdose, that in and of itself is murder, and that's going to resonate with a group of jurors that may have been on the fence. >> what was also fascinating, the way they wove together their closing, seeing casey in prison, and her mom is talking to her, and they are saying, what are they saying now, caylee drowned in the pool, whatever. it's interesting how they knocked it right out of the pool, so to speak, and that's a bad med afore. >> that was devastating. it was after the fact. and casey's continually lying about the nanny, and in the new york database, and they won't let me help her, i know who to

call and i know where she is, and she's a liar and a liar and a liar. but you know what, we still don't know the cause of death. we don't know where it happened. where it happened. we don't know the instrument of death. on a first degree intentional murder case, jurors should know that before they perhaps sentence somebody to death. that's the strongest thing baez said yesterday. >> no fingerprints or anything like that. the defense, did they -- they had a lot -- they really had a lot of ground to makeup trying to explain that, you know, don't let emotions get in the way, and look at the evidence and the evidence right now doesn't say that casey actually was the one who killed her child. what do you think about that? >> right. baez went after the forensics and that was important to do that. the fau sorensics were the place defense had to score. they were saying they were unreliable and they had to

convict here. don't let passion or your hatred make you vote guilty for her, and yet you saw baez try to throw george anthony, as they say in this case, under the bus. he tried to drum up the jury and hate george and shift the focus from casey to george. i don't think that's going to work. maybe one juror. that's all he needs on a hung jury here. >> and that was really risky, especially since prosecutors came back and read the suicide note that george had written, saying how distraught and devastating by the whole of the events. look at this. this is interesting. >> whose life was better? that's the only question you need to answer. in considering why caylee marie

anthony was left on the side of the road, dead? there's your answer. >> what is interesting about that, richard, they really painted casey as a mother who chose her own entertainment, her own life over that of her daughter's. at one point even saying that while her child -- while little caylee marie was in the back of the car decomposing, casey was strolling hand and hand with her boyfriend. that was hard. >> again, you know, they want the jury to make that leap. they don't have direct evidence of this and they are speculating and trying to sell the bill of goods. the most important thing that they closed with was look, the defense position is preposterous. if this was an accidental drowning, why would george, a former police officer, number one make it looks like a murder. number two, dump the body a few

houses away from the house, and number three, not eventually come forward and say, look, guys, this was an accident, don't put my daughter to death, don't make her go to trial for death. that was the stupid tea of the defense theory, which he never should have opened with, and now he will pay the price for that. >> he said you don't make an accident look like murder. and it was a bizarre trip down the rabbit hole. thank you so much for being with us. well, there's no july fourth break for emergency crews in states as they battle massive fires, floods and oil spills. workers are racing to clean up the hundreds of barrels of oil bumped into the yellowstone river. a pipeline under the river ruptured near billings over the

weekend. some of the oil washes ashore and is forming pulls of milky brown residue. local officials say high water and fast currents are helping to break up the spill, and the bad news is flooding is making it extremely dangerous for workers to do cleanup on the river. teams are trying to contain what damage has already been done from the shores. turning to new mexico. more than 2,000 firefighters are battling a massive wildfire in the northern part of the state near los alamos. the fire is threatening to threaten hundreds of buildings including a number of ancient sites on indian lands. firefighters are making some progress, especially around the southwest portion of los alamos. 10,000 residents that live in the area were allowed to return home. let's bring in our meteorologist, chad meyers. we hear there is relief coming

for the firefighters. >> humidity is moving back in to areas for the first time in nine months. they have something called a monsoon season, and the wind changes direction and you get humidity that comes back up. every day you get a thunderstorm or two. we saw the thunderstorms in phoenix yesterday. now, they are not in new mexico, yet. but we get closer and closer. we had flooding in las vegas overnight from rain that has not happened for, like, nine months. when the monsoon is over, it's over. there is more weather and showers storms offer to the east. if you will head to the fireworks displays over parts of tennessee, and maybe even towards the carolinas, you will see thunder and lightning, and maybe some of it enough to put delays into your plans, maybe. here's the story for the southwest. every little county that you see here has some type of burn ban, even into types of florida.

most of the burn bans also include fire work bans. before you do anything today that might get yourself in trouble, find out what your local county will tell you about fireworks. there are so many areas that are so dry. texas has not seen a drought like this since 1895. that means right now this drought in texas is worst than the dust bowl. you cannot have fires or fireworks out sides when it's that dry. >> yeah, a random spark could start something huge like what we are seeing. chad, we will check in with you a little later on. how bad is the housing crisis where you live? that's next. i am special sarah crossaddne,

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the foreclosure crisis is not showing many signs of ending, and in some cities across america the situation is getting worse. we found one town in central new jersey where the bank owns nearly one in every ten homes. with empty homes lining the street and ramping up gang violence, some homeowners feels trapped. >> at a bird's-eye view, plane field new jersey may look like

lots of parts in america. but you learn something, the bank owns a lot of the city. >> i lived in three houses, and three times i was forced to move. >> reporter: almost three times the national average are in foreclosure. >> it's terrible. my kids have to walk past the empty houses, and i am afraid for them. >> reporter: you won't find pad locks or boarded up windows, but it's not tough to find people thousands of dollars in debt on their homes. >> right here on east front street alone, there are 25 homes in foreclosure, and just down the way on berkeley terrace, you will find eight more. crime is now rampant, and the police spend their time breaking up gang activity, and determining which came first is a chicken and egg situation for the mayor. >> do you feel the amount of foreclosures, the foreclosure

crisis in this city led to the increased gang violence? >> there may be a relationship in terms of the certain areas in the city of plainfield where certain residents have been laid off and feel hopeless at this point. >> reporter: 123 foreclosures within a half mile, but there are hundreds more all over town. >> i am looking for more help from the companies. >> more help from the banks? >> absolutely. >> reporter: we reach out to the banks that hold the most mortgages, and bank of america would not comment and wells fargo said they are continuing to work with the borrowers to find an alternative to foreclosure. today home prices continue to fall. there are layoffs in the schools, and the city has cut 50% of its workers since february. at rise and shine restaurant, the owner says business is

slumping. >> there are ups and downs, and some days are better and some days are slow. it's tough. >> unless something can turn around, we need a miracle. >> reporter: a miracle? >> we need a miracle. >> reporter: the empty homes changed the lives of the people that still call plainfield their home. it's 23 past the hour. let's check our top stories. the fate of casey anthony now with the jury. prosecutors ridiculed defense claims that the death of the casey anthony's 2-year-old caylee could have been an accident followed by a cover-up. the state contends she drugged her daughter and smothered her with duct tape and dumped her in the woods. and here, shown, taking a walk with his daughters on state-run tv, says he is feeling well and happy. he said cuban doctors he moved a

tumor, and his return could be months away. and then the duke and duchess started their day with province house. next hour, prince william will join canadian search and rescue pilots in a helicopter emergency landing exercise. concerns now over a popular drug that can help you stop smoking. we will tell you what side affect is raising flags with the federal government. that's coming up next. some people think allstate only protects your car. here's the truth: allstate can also protect your home or apartment. as well as your boat, motorcycle, rv, and snowmobile. and even your retirement and your life.

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effects. joining me to talk about the development is senior medical correspondent, elizabeth cohen. powhow worried should people be about this? >> they should take this into consideration if it's a drug they are considering. 7 million people take the drug. they did a study where they looked at folks that took it, and they had a 72% increased risk of having a heart attack compared to those not taking chant chantix. they did not have heart attacks, but they were more likely to have a heart attack than if they did not take chantix. >> what about the warning label? as you say, the patience have to do due diligence, know what

their rights are? >> it may have a slight risk. the people that did the study would take issue with that, because in their study they found there were heart attacks from people who never had any kind of cardiovascular disease, and they would not say it's a small increased risk and would say it's bigger than that. >> have there been other side affects with this drug? >> yes, there are warnings for possible side affects. depressed mood, suicidal actions and hostility and agitation. >> what are they saying, the makers? >> they are saying there is a tiny increased risk of having a heart attack, and they are working with the fda to do more research. >> what advice, then, can we give to people that want to stop smoking? one of them is that you have to have a full medical before you take any drug, because if you have some sort of heart

condition, maybe this patch is not for you? >> right. you want to talk to your doctor about your particular situation and what might be best. keep in mind, there are many different ways to stop smoking. go to cnn.com/empoweredpatient. you can see other options and then you can decide if it appears to be taking something with an increased risk. >> it's always interesting to hear what the side affects are, because some of them found scary. >> you want to know, if the advantage of taking the drugs outweighs the affects, you want to know. a stunning change of heart from libyan rebels. now what they say they are now willing to accept from moammar gadhafi, coming up next. of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice.

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it's a little past 1:30. let's take a look at some of the headlines and news you may have missed. after weeks of tears, testimony and objections and lots of arguments, the fate of casey marie anthony is in the hands of the jury. prosecutors finished arguments this morning, saying she drugged her child and smothered her with duct tape and dumped her in the woods not far from the grandparent's home. and then one of the founders of a gang was captured.

enrique rejon aguilar was arrested. there was a $5 million reward offered for his arrest. one person dead and eight still missing from a tourists boat that sank sunday from rough weather. the shipping vessel had 44 people onboard and half of them americans. some of them swam to shore and walked to the nearest town and alerted the mexican navy to what happened. libya's rebel leader says he does not have a problem with moammar gadhafi remaining in the country once he resigns as long as he remains under supervision. this report contradicts earlier opposition statements that

gadhafi's exit was a prerequisite for fighting to stop. a spokeman for the libyan government has said they would welcome a peace deal from the rebels but not one that rested on gadhafi's departure. and then here is something that will make you feel patriotic. american pride in athens, greece. also winning gold, the soccer team and the softball team and basketball team. they are bringing home other gold medals in gymnastic as well. with the shuttle program shutting down, what is left for future space explorers? we will take to you space camp coming up next.

i am from iraq. i would like to say happy fourth of july to all my family and friends back home, my lovely wife, jennifer and the kids. happy fourth of july, guys. i miss you. bye.

cnn in depth today, we're looking at the space program. the final shuttle mission is set to launch friday, and can you see it, of course, here on cnn, like you have all of the other shuttle launches. what happens when the final shuttle lands? acquiring astronauts have to chase a different dream. brooke baldwin found out there's no shortage of exploration

ideas. >> what is that supposed to simulate? >> gravity. >> they are at the top of their class. >> who really is good at science and math? >> reporter: even though the space shuttle program is coming to an end, the desire of the space campers could be astronauts is as strong as ever. >> what do you want to do when you grow up? >> i hope to become an astronaut. >> it's that heroic quality so appealing from all eras that pushes the youngsters towards space. >> what do you think of astronauts? >> brave. determined. talented. >> reporter: about 30,000 elementary students come through space camp each and every year in huntsville, alabama. their week of astronaut training

kul ma. what do you think about the last shuttle going up? >> it's disappointing. >> what do you say because the space shuttle program is ending with the "atlantis," and that's going to end this year, and then what for space camp? >> the end of the space shuttle program is like a graduation to me. we're moving on to something else. >> these campers have lots of idea for that something else. what do you want to do when you go to space? >> go to mars. >> i want to be the first woman on mars. >> hi five, sister. >> i know one day we will live on other planets. >> you think so? >> definitely. >> how will we breathe? >> oxygen generators. >> as far fetched as it sounds, these whiz kids are on target. they are already planning the

next space camp to include inflatable habitats. >> it's where you can launch a structure, and once you get it into space, pressurize it, and they are inflatable structures you can use anywhere in space. >> perhaps pushing the next generation of astronauts further into the next frontier. brook baldin, cnn, huntsville, alabama. join cnn's brook baldwin for the final shuttle launch here on friday on cnn. three days after a huge anti-government protest, the president asawed, strikes back. [ marge ] psst.

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time now for globe trekking, and we'll look at the latest developments in syria. there are reports of clashes today after the huge anti-government protest there. cnn's correspondent joins us from there. what are you hearing? >> reporter: well, it most certainly is a disturbing development. we heard from an activist, that

tanks rolled into the outskirts of city at 4:00 in the morning, clashing with residents who were arming themselves with sticks and stones. some neighborhoods, they did in fact manage to drive the military out. and residents set up makeshift barricades to keep syrian groups fr from destroying hama again. there was a launch of a deadly crackdown against an up rising that was being conducted by the muslim brotherhood. human rights organizations said the methods used by tregime wer merciless. now, last month in hama,

activist were saying demonstrationists were being killed, and then interestingly over the last few weeks, we saw the syrian military, the security apparatus, largely with draw from hama and appearing peacef peaceful demonstrations to take place. people who were on site was describing it as being a scene to the square in cairo. and then the government without giving any reason, the military appears to be launching the beginning of a crackdown. >> obviously the demonstrators are calling for a call assad

regime. does the regime see this as a fundamental threat to its existence? >> reporter: what has been interesting, we have on numerous occasions, since the up rising began more than three months ago, we have been seeing the government talk about concessions and talking about reforms. when we speak to activist, they say very little if any of that has actually been enacted. the regime does appear as if it's trying to cling to power. it has been, and we have been seeing ourselves, in fact, what would appear to be a shift in strategy. they have let the international media into the country, and they are allowing some opposition members to meet in meetings that they are actually trying to bring a lot of attention to saying, look, we're reforming and allowing the opposition to get together. on the other hand, we still continue to see crackdowns in the northwestern part of the

country, for example, and then movements on what would appear to be a crackdown. it's difficult to gauge exactly what it is that the government is thinking, because debra, even though we're a country right now, we have not been able to receiver an official response from the government as to what is transpiring, and we reached out on numerous occasions throughout the day, and we're not receiving a response, which makes it difficult to determine not only what their side of events is, but to get an accurate picture of what is happening. >> all right. thank you so much. eyes on the ground for us. we appreciate that report. well, it's 45 past the hour. let's check our top stories. even in the u.s. case against dominique strauss-kahn may be collapsing, he's facing new trouble in his native france. he was released on his own recognizance friday, this after credibility problems by his accuser. the hotel maid that said she was saw salted by him. now a french lawyer says he's

filing a lawsuit on behalf of this novelist. she claims the french presidential contender tried to rape her back in 2003. mexican police swept in and arrested the founder of a drug group. he is suspected in connection with numerous killings in northwestern mexico. the u.s. drug enforcement agency offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest. venezuelan president chavez has been being treated for cancer. he says that he is feeling well and happy. he announced last week that cuban doctors removed a

cancerous tumor. how do you fix the economy, the federal debt and create more jobs? one man has a solution so simple and powerful it may surprise you. that's in our big eye in just a couple minutes.

well, as you know, every day on this show we do a segment called the big eye. it's about solutions to problems. today's topic gets to the core of the segment. there's a growing movement to fight the ballooning federal debt, a sluggish economy and the

slipping power and influence of the u.s. the solution is simple innovation. the consumer electronics association, this declaration, you see it right there. pretty much like the declaration of independence. it's an online pledge to push innovation as a national agenda. leading the way is the president and ceo of the electronics association. gary shapiro joins me from madrid spain what is this declaration supposed to invoke? >> well, we are in tough challenging times as a nation, we can raise taxes, we can cut spending or we can grow. growth depends on innovation. we should recognize it as a national strategy. >> when we talk about it as a national strategy, innovation has to come with ideas to back it up. you wrote about this in the

huffington post, and talked about the five basic beliefs that fuels passion. why is this so important? >> because it's who we are. we are an immigrant nation. we have a first amendment which encourages us to speak out without worrying about our government. we're not consensus builders like the asian companies. we're getting the best and brightest from around the world. we are the nation's innovators. in technology, culture, movies, medicine. we're not the world's lowest cost manufacturer's. >> there are five basic beliefs we have them on the screen right now. the right strategy, it is who we are, we owe it to our troops. we must do right by our children. i owe it to my son. you highlight on your website free trade, federal deficit. talk to me about that, and how it comes into play when it comes

to small businesses and helping innovate and move the economy forward. >> well, it comes into play, we're the best country in the world and we celebrate that today. our strategy in getting here has been attracting the best and brightest, we work the hardest. it's not a forgone conclusion and will continue that way. we're the first generation that's stolen from our kids and almost guaranteed them a more difficult life. enough already to our government. we have kids risking our bodies overseas. it's not about republicans or democrats, it's about americans standing up and saying, let's have a strategy and let's folk tuesday on the fact that we are the best, most creative, hardest working people in the world. let's continue that way, it's free trade, broadband deployment, and putting people to work. >> behind the strategy, doesn't there have to be financial help?

yo can have as many ideas as you want, without a blueprint, a financial strategy, those ideas disappear? >> well, certainly we have a strategy, we have to lower the deficit, we have to do it by americans sacrificing -- all of us working together and stop some of the squabbles, which are minor in comparison that we're stealing from our kids. the strategy we laid out is about the fact that the next 5 to 10 to 15 years, unless we change what we're doing, stop spending government money, unless we balance our budget, get the best and brightest, we are going to go down and it's going to get worse. we have to challenge our politicians to make the tough decisions. we have to hold them accountable and stop accepting from either party or any politician silver bullet solutions. it's tough, but we can innovate and grow. growth is important. that doesn't mean more government spending, means growth. you can see it on

declareinnovation.com or different places to sign up. and learn about how innovation in america are two things that go together like mom and apple pie. >> gary shapiro thanks so much for joining us. it takes a whole fundamental mind shift how we do business and also how business plans for our children. thank you so much, gary shapiro joining us from madrid spain today. for more information, check out randi kaye's facebook page. the newest presidential candidate, that's coming up. ♪ [ male announcer ] what is the future of fuel? the debate is over. ♪ lexus hybrid drive technology is designed to optimize any fuel source on the planet. even those we don't use yet.

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time now for a cnn political update. the presidential candidates are not taking a break for the july 4th holiday. neither is paul steinhauser. a lot of folks on the trail today, who's there. >> it's a great day if you're a candidate. you get to march in the july 4th parades. this is from amherst, new hampshire. here's mitt romney, he's saying hello to people along the side. that's what you do when you're running for president.

go to the next tape, guess who else was at that parade? jon huntsman. he's running a little faster than romny, maybe that's because he's a little further down in the polls in new hampshire, and he has to greet more voters. >> yeah, he has to run harder and faster. >> it's still early, though. it's not just new hampshire. check out this map we made up here. we have a bunch of candy dates in iowa today. michele bachmann will be there marching in a parade. same parade will be rick santorum and newt gingrich. these states are the first states in the primary caucus. herm is at a tea party event in philadelphia. and he goes to new hampshire later today. >> thad mcconner also joined the race over the weekend. he's saying he wants to restructure government, it should be a big citizen run, not big government, but

self-government. >> a lot of people don't know who he is, he's a congressman from michigan, five terms. he represents the western suburbs of detroit. he made it official at a freedom festival. besides being a five term congressman, can he play some guitar. take a listen. ♪ >> he's playing guitar there, not singing. he's the second person running for the white house on the republican side. jon huntsman, who is a rock 'n' roll star i guess you could say. >> you're going to have to find an instrument you can play, join in somehow. >> i'll work on that. >> okay. paul steinhauser joining us from washington, d.c.. thanks as always. your next update from the best political team on television, just an hour away. it's the top of the hour, almost two hours since the jury in the casey anthony murder

trial was given the case and instructed to render a verdict. prosecutors in florida spent the morning rebutting defense claims that 2-year-old caylee anthony could have died by accident in her grandparent's pool. the state contends casey drugged her daughter with chloroform, smothered her with duct tape and dumped her in the woods. when the family first discovered caylee was missing in june 2008. casey claimed a fictitious nanny kidnapped the little girl. prosecutors replayed a jailhouse video at which casey scoffs at the drowning claim which her defense is now based on. >> dad's blown up at the media. yeah, i heard. someone just said that caylee was dead this morning, she drowned in the pool. that's the newest story out

there. surprise, surprise. >> she found her daughter drowned in the pool and it was her dad who was with the child at the time. casey is charged with first degree murder, aggravated child abuse and four counts of lying to police. if convicted of capital murder she faces the death penalty. jurors could find her guilty of a noncapital murder of second degree or man slauter or they could find casey anthony not guilty. while we wait for their decisions i want to bring in richard herman, he's been watching the anthony trial closely. richard, you have got to wonder what is going on right now in the jury room. do you think they took a show of hands as to where everybody stands on the issues? >> i think they could have taken a quick vote on first degree, this is how i think it's coming down right now. pure speculation based on years of practice. i think at least eight of those

jurors are already convinced it's first degree murder. the other four are on the fence. those four are struggling with, at this point, was it accidental overdose. and if it was, they know now they could find felony murder. number two, are they really buying the prosecution's motive for casey to do this, to live the good life? couldn't she have just given the baby to her mother to raise? wouldn't that have been a simple thing rather than kill her own daughter? did she have to use duct tape to kill her or chloroform. most of these mother/child murders are done with pillows. the most important thing, the state's own medical examiner still has unable to determine the cause of death. at least one or two of those jurors are troubled by that concept. baez did everything he could to bring that up. the behavior of casey, the

behavio behavior, the lies, the lies, the behavior. >> he want to talk about that, and how, if you're sitting in that room, and you go over all the lies that casey anthony told, the fact that she had a nanny, she never had. the fact that she had a job, which didn't exist. the fact that she was dating a wealthy man who had a child caylee's age. casey concocted this elaborate sort of sense around her of this world. do you think that the jurors are buying that or how much does that play into whether they believe she's guilty based on the fact as you point out that they don't know the exact cause of death and there's no smoking gun like a fingerprint. >> a lot of the jurors that don't care. those lies and that behavior is enough for them to take the leap and say she did it, she must have done it, i'm going to

convict her for that. that conduct was outrageous. try as baez did to say it was from molestation or family dysfunction. no reasonable juror is going to buy into that. that was horrible. that conduct alone is damning. the prosecutor said today in the rebuttal, those lies, that wasn't from a dysfunction or that wasn't from anything other than casey looking to protect herself. >> right. >> looking for her to throw up red flags, send people in other directions. >> what's incredible is listening to this trial, it's a secret addiction, because it's so fascinating. casey anthony tells lie after lie. it's almost like a mythomaniac, believing the lies she tells are the truth. her defense lawyer tried to create doubt by saying, no, it was the father or no, it was the man who actually found the body, it just -- how does that factor

in? >> the kronk claims that were brought out in his opening were completely destroyed, he didn't go anywhere with that. he tried to blow up george anthony, i thinke made a mistake going after him on the suici suicide, making light of that, making fun of that. i think that was bad. you know, it's just not falling into place. it didn't fall into place for baez, it dug him a hole in his opening. he didn't live up to what he promised in his opening. they're going to be upset with baez and take it back with casey. if they come back today or tomorrow with a verdict, it's going to be murder and go right to the penalty phase. they're sweating it out right now, the defense, the team, the lawyers and casey. >> richard herman, thanks so much. the jury doesn't have to agree on whether it's premeditated or felony. they just have to agree it's murder, and technically the person who did it was casey anthony. richard herman, thanks so much. keeping an eye on this. >> take care.

>> thanks so much. >> listen, yeah, an accident chloroform overdeuce just to keep her quiet which led to death is also going to be murder and that's what's going to sway any of those remaining jurors, i think. moving on our sound effect is from a courtroom thousands of miles away. a defendant on trial for thousands of deaths. rad co mladic committed general know side in the 1980s. he was on the run for 15 years. today before a criminal tribunal, mladic refused to enter a plea. but had a lot to say otherwise. here's the way it went down in the hague. >> you're charged with genocide,

punishable under article 43-a. >> no, no, i'm not going to listen to this. i'm not going to listen to this at all. without my lawyer, i'm not going to listen any more. you're talking in vain. i'm not going to listen to anything. >> mr. mladic, mr. mladic, mr. mlad mladic. the court orders you be removed from the courtroom. could security -- >> still defy and. well, the judge entered a not guilty plea on mladic's behalf, he put the proceedings on hold indefinitely. even though the u.s. case against dominique strauss-kahn may be falling apart, he's facing some new trouble back in france. the former international monetary fund chief was released on his own reconnaissance

friday. you see him leaving his house, he was released after credibility problems. now, a french lawyer says he's filing a lawsuit on behalf of novelist tristan nawall. she claims strauss-kahn tried to rape letter in 2003. mexican police swept in and arrested a founder of the notorious xeta drug gang who may be hitchinged to jamie saturday zapota. he's suspected with numerous killings around northeast mexico. the gang is fighting a bloody turf battle with its ally, the gulf cartel. the u.s. drug enforcement administration has offered a reward leading to his arrest.

eight people still missing after a tourist boat capsized off the baja california peninsula. the boat left san felipe, mexico carrying 44 people. one person reportedly died. >> it was a 100 foot fishing charter vessel. we hit some rough water and capsized and sank almost immediately. the boat was close enough to land. enough people were wearing life jackets. some people were able to swim to shore. >> the u.s. coast guard is helping in the search for the remaining eight missing people. there's another apparent hacking incident this one involving fox news politics. specifically their twit ter fee. the hacker group that calls itself the script kitties has been linked to the incident based on a report fox news.com says the hacking incident is

under investigation, and it regrets any distress that the false tweets may have created. as we spend the 4th of july with our family and friends, and our work colleagues, we take a minute to check in on the u.s. troops fighting for our freedom so far away from home we go to afghanistan in a few minutes. hello, this is lance corporal laffleur. i want to give a shout out to my family back home. delicious ents and finish with something sweet all for just $15. right now at red lobster. is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. new citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal.

i would like to wish my family in south carolina a happy fourth of july.

i love you and miss you, bye. >> as we celebrate this independence day, we remember all the servicemen and women fighting for our freedom. we have an interview with kyra phillips from earlier today. >> we've been following familiar faces, like sergeant randy shorter. he's actually received a promotion since the last time we spoke. he's first sergeant randy shorter. we have sergeant anthony cook. these are two familiar faces. we have a new member as well who has just joined the platoon. want to introduce you here, give us a sense of what it's been like for you, to be here in the platoon joining this band of brothers. >> from the moment we came in, the guys gave me that filling out period.

after a while they accepted me into the platoon and it's just like being a part of a family. >> we talk about family, and on the holidays like today, you cannot be with them, right? but you're with each other. how does that help. >> it helps because we're here together thick and thin. we go through the toughest of times but we always pool each other together. times like today we can think about the moments back home. >> would you agree with that? >> yes, like you've seen earlier, we've been helping out at one big family. everybody getting nice haircuts. >> yeah, you cleaned up in that poker game. >> it's good to have all these guys around with us, and i can't say enough about them. >> i want to give everyone a chance to say something. i'm going to start with lieutenant george kay. i want you to speak to your family in seattle. >> mom, dad, my brother, sister,

all my family and friends in seattle, houston, texas, st. louis. >> all right. also a shoutout. >> my wife cheryl, my daughters in ft. campbell, hello, i love you, can't wait to see you. and my sister amy, and my mother and brother in california. >> i know your wife is already here. >> i'd like to say hi to my family back home. adrian, kathy and my aunt and cousin. i love all of you all, i can't wait to see you. >> wish we could give all the guys back here an opportunity to speak to their families. any of you watching you see a familiar face, they're here right now, they're safe. they're doing a good job, and happy fourth of july to all. coming up next, how far wot feds go to catch a suspected serial killer? here in the midwest, several young girls went missing.

some were found murdered. others were never found at all. >> brooke baldwin went inside a chilling world to find out the plan is dangerous, daring and includes sending a convicted drug dealer inside prison to get answers from the man man. at bayer, we're re-inventing aspirin for pain relief. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles, enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief to the site of pain. it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin.

to catch a serial killer, we have a special report tonight at 10:00 eastern looking at the case of larry hall. police believe he's a serial killer, but they're lacking a key piece of evidence.

here's brooke baldwin with a preview of tonight's special. >> reporter: jimmy keen was ten months into his sentence when larry beaumont brought him in to talk. >> it scared me, i thought this was some trip. >> reporter: keen watched nervsly as beaumont pushed a folder across the table. >> i looked and there was a mutilated dead girl. i flipped the page and there was another mutilated dead girl. i looked up and he said, we need you to help us with this case. >> he went from his low security lockup to a dangerous prison and to prefriend larry hall. >> he said if you can get solid confessions from him and you can help us locate the bodies that are still missing, we're willing to completely wash your record.

>> reporter: keane's mission, to learn where patricia rightler was buried. beaumont made it clear, no body, no early release. keene would have to serve the rest of his ten-year sentence. >> he's smart, articulate, he's not afraid, and i knew he wanted to get out. >> reporter: for keene it was a chance for redemption, to restore his family name. and to get his life back on track. >> this was a way for him to get home, and a way for him to do good. to kind of take this bad thing he had done and to somehow turn it inside out and make it something that would solve a crime. >> reporter: but it wouldn't be easy. it's fair to say he was risking him life? he could have been killed? >> it was dangerous, absolutely. >> it was highly risky. >> these people in those types

of places don't have anything better to do but try to hurt and kill you. >> reporter: he was unsure, but a phone call home put his doubts to rest. his stepfather had suffered a stroke. >> she said, he's in really bad shape, we wish you were here, this is terrible you're in a spot where you are right now, we could lose him. >> reporter: he needed to get home to kankikee fast. there was only one way to make that happen, he had to face an alleged serial killer first. >> however bizarre or how far out or whatever this mission thabo mont wants me to go on, i'm going to do it. >> brooke baldwin joins me now. this is incredible, how risky to put a confidential inform an the into prison to try to dig up dirt on this larry hall. tell me, what is it that -- why did they want to know where the body was? what did they want to know about

larry hall? >> this had never been done before. here you have larry hall, who's in prison for life for kidnapping and murdering a 15-year-old girl, but these investigators say this guy may have been capable of murdering many, many other young girls. i sat down with larry hall's twin brother, and he looked at me straight in the eye and said, brooke i believe my brother is the most prolific killer of all time. larry hall, who is in prison in this max yum security lockup, jimmy keene, hometown hero, starts dealing drugs. he gets put away for ten years in an easier situation, different prison. so basically, the guy who put him away, gives him the opportunity of a lifetime. talk about a story of redemption, if you can get in and get names and locations of bodies, i'm going to let you go. >> that's incredible, they must

be so frustrated knowing larry hall may have done more murders than anybody can imagine. >> he's confessed and recanted multiple times. >> they have him on at least two murders. how many more do they think are out there. >> they have him on one. they're working on the latest number -- this story's really been changing as jimmy keene's information is coming out, upwards of 30 girls. >> that's remarkable. brooke, we are very excited to look at your special. >> we'll see what happens. >> absolutely, 10:00. we'll be there, thanks so much. you can watch the rest of brooke's special tonight 10:00 eastern, right here on cnn, you don't want to miss it. it is now 2:23. the fate of casey anthony now with the jury. prosecutors finish their final arguments this morning, ridiculing the defense claims

that the death of casey antho anthony's 2-year-old daughter caylee could have been an accident. the state contends casey drugged her child with chloroform, smothered her with duct tape and dumped her in the woods. hugo chavez returned home from cuba. he's shown right there with his two daughters. that image taken from state run tv. he announced last week that cuban doctors had removed a cancerous tumor. there was speculation that it would be months before his return to caracas. prince william and his wife catherine. the duke and duchess of cambridge started the dayith a visit to province house, which is the second oldest active legislative building in canada. this hour, prince william will join canadian search and rescue pilots at a helicopter emergency landing exercise. the last mission for the

shuttle will be the first space flight for a device you may have in your pocket right now. find out what it is coming up after the break. hotel bids to fu can save up to 60% on hotels. * we'll even email you other people's winning bids, so you'll know what price to name. *á with new hotel bid alerts, from priceline. about how older people are becoming more and more antisocial, so i was really aggressive with my parents about joining facebook. my parents are up to 19 friends now? so sad. ♪ i have 687 friends. this is living. what!? that is not a real puppy. that's too small to be a real puppy. [ male announcer ] toyota venza. keep on rolling. ♪

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what does this mean? you know the drought i've talked about across the south? it's been very wet. all those rivers are flooding. think about minot. the water has been coming up. this pipeline break is not running back into yellowstone. it's running the other way. it will get down toward the mississippi river eventually, but 42,000 gallons of crude oil just to the southwest of billings. the river going that direction and the break luckily just downstream from where laurel montana gets its drinking water. that's not good for everyone else downstream. i talked to some officials there. they said there's so much mud and muck in the water that it's mixing up the oil and wash it away. where it's washing, i guess that means it's spreading out.

not a better scenario, but just more spread out fewer things will get sick because it's not going to be in big pools sitting there. >> a teenie bit of a silver lining. thanks so much. we appreciate that. we'll check in with you a little bit. now it's time to go off the radar. the last shuttle flight will also be the first for apple's iphone. chad, you've been following thissing what can you tell us? >> what's the greatest part about an iphone? it's stability, now there are gyro's inside. they know which way. you can get an application, get an iphone, ipad, can you points it at an airplane in the sky, the app will tell you where the plane came from, where the plane is going, how high it is, how fast it's going, just by pointing up. there's all this maneuverability. the upside double, the gps, what way they're going to use this in the shuttle. they're not going to drive the shuttle with it, they're going

to take it up there, see how it reacts in zero gravity. see what it does up there. when the soyuz brings people back, they're going to see what they learned up there. can they take the application, take the iphone, bring it back down here and make it even better. >> just a naive question, perhaps, usually you have to have a service plan with at&t or verizon. how do you get service on your iphone in space. >> i don't think you can call anyone. >> pretty sure, anyway. >> this is literally for scientific research, if it doesn't happen, it's okay. this is it not some kind of -- it has to happen on the docket, there's so many great things these iphones can do on land. what can they do in space. that's what they're finding out. >> we appreciate you sticking

around. thanks so much. don't forget to watch our coverage of the final shuttle launch this friday. begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern. we're gearing up for special coverage. that's going to include our chad myers who knows so much about that space shuttle, it's going to be right here on cnn. u.s. special olympics athletes are showing off their gold medals, we'll tell you all about their impressive showing in athens right after this. and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, man: good job. where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee, where the repairs made on your car are guaranteed for life or they're on us. these are just two of the valuable features you can expect from liberty mutual. plus, when you insure both your home and car with us, it could save you time and money.

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is in the hands of the jury. the death of casey anthony's daughter could have been an accident followed by some cover-up. prosecutors contend anthony drugged her child with chloroform, smothered her with three pieces of duct tape and threw her body in the woods near her parents home so she could go out and live the sing emlife. federal police captured jesus mimar sundayed. the xeta's have been engaged in a turf battle with their former allies the gulf cartel. the u.s. dea has offered a $5 million reward for any information leading to their arrest of this man. and libya's rebel leaders

say he does not have a problem with moammar gadhafiry maining in the country as long as he remains under supervision. this report contradicts earlier statements that gadhafi's exit was an absolute prerequisite. the possible willingness to negotiate with the libyan leader to bring about an end to the month's long conflict. a spokesman said they would welcome a peace deal from the rebels. here's something that will make you feel patriotic on this independence day and bring a smile to your lips. american pride on full display at the special olympics. they're celebrating several gold medal winning teams. also winning gold, the u.s. softball team from texas. team usa is also bringing home individual gold medal in

aquatics, gymnastics and bocci. bashar assad strikes back.

the atlantis crew has just arrived at the kennedy space center, they're going to spend the week getting ready for friday's final launch. that launch, of course, set for about 11:26 a.m. eastern time on friday. you can see them in their suits there, and they're going to be crossing their t's and dotting their eyes, don't forget to watch our coverage of the final shuttle launch, it's going to be

historical. the syrian government appears to be cracking down on the town of hama, just days after massive protests there. that's one of the issues we're following today. a human rights group says that syrian security forces are raiding homes, arresting dozens of activists on the outskirts, what is going on there, this was a huge demonstration over the weekend, is this pay back? >> we're trying to piece together different narratives we're getting. early this morning at dawn, the security forces, which had withdrawn from hama, why people were able to go out and protest. hundreds of thousands turned out as you mentioned. on friday, they came back. amateur pictures of the security forces, tanks. the military vehicles coming back, dozens of them at dawn. they broke into homes, they arrested activists. the people realized what was going on.

clashes erupted and at this point we don't know exactly what's going on in this town. the town has a very bloody history, president assad's father in 18982 crackeddown on an uprising in which 10,000, possibly 20,000 people were killed. and it's unknown now why he decided to send back the troops in. he fired the governor of hama also a few days ago, we didn't know why he fired him, whether he did a good job, a bad job allowing these massive demonstrations. so it's up in the air. >> it's certainly initing, because president assad has said we're going to do limited reforms, we're going to work with you, it's interesting, maybe they just pulled out too soon and realized there was way too much public momentum to take the risk this was going to go on or spread, i assume? >> yeah, these were the biggest demonstrations, it seems nothing

the government has done has been able to halt these demonstrations, from increasing in intensity across the main cities and spreading. people are risking their lives and they kuip turning out no matter what. >> they had a new prime minister in thailand. this is the sister of someone who was serving in the same position a few years ago. >> this is the sister of the prime minister who was ousted in the military coup in 2006. she's formed a parliament with four other parties, says she wants to reconcile her country which is divided between those who adore her brother. the military establishment, the business people, the urban people who also consider him corrupt and authoritarian and

they hate him as much as he's adored. he's a divisive figure. he's been convicted of corruption, he's living in exile. the big question, deb is what will the military do. what will she do, she's trying to get her brother amnesty. she says no, but there will be a reconsideration of the investigation. >> which that in and of itself is interesting. maybe they'll find the charges against him initially were not ledge malcharges or perhaps they should have been handled differently. there's still a lot of problems in thailand, you have a separatist uprising that's going on there. i don't know whether we have it, there was a car bomb explosion, they think separatists did it, the video is fascinating. take a look at this. you don't usually see this in realtime fp. >> yes, you see the explosion. the police officer is trying to diffuse this bomb.

the bomb goes off. he's thrown off by the massive pausch of this explosion, and he walked away. you see him get up, he walked away. and we don't know the extent of his injuries, he survived this massive explosion in the south. there's a muslim minority in the south which feels marginalized from the north, the mostly buddhist thai majority. and that's what this conflict is about. >> certainly the new prime minister will have her hands full. i want to get your thoughts, hugo chavez, he returns to venezuela, he went to cuba to have a cancerous tumor removed. he's back. >> this is a surprise, this is 2:00 a.m. in the morning. after yesterday we were reporting that his vice president said he would be gone for another possibly six months, recuperating, getting treatment for cancer in cuba. there he is arriving one day

ahead of a very important date in his country's history. the bicentennial of their independence from spain. he's back, but he may not be able to participate in the celebrations, he is expected to speak at around 5:30 p.m. eastern time. we don't know the extent of his cancer, exactly what kind of cancer. >> or whether he may go back to cuba to finish up on chemo or something. you would think venezuela would have a couple pretty good doctors too. >> always a pleasure to see you, we'll check in with you. thanks so much. when we think of july 4th, we think of fanfare, fireworks, family bbq's, there's also a declaration of independence. do you know when and who we declared our independence from? you want to stay with us before you answer. my mother made the best toffee in the world.

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that is occurring moments ago. as we sell operate the fourth of july, i'm going to ask you a question. in what year did the u.s. declare its independence and from what country? quick, better answer. you sure, you really sure? before you say yes, more than 1,000 americans were asked the same question. an embarrassing number of u.s. americans need to brush up on their history. only 58% of americans knew the correct year. 26% weren't so sure about their answer, 16% were stumped, which is pretty surprising since the answer is drilled into our heads starting in elementary school. that's what makes this surprising. younger mens are the least likely to know the right answer. only 31% of adults youther than

30 got the year correct. the age group who really knows their history, americans 45 to 59. three out of four of them answered correctly. the percentage dropped for adults 60 and older, and men 65% responded correctly versus just 52% of women. ladies what's up with that. what country did the u.s. revolt against for our independence. roughly one in four americans were unsure or simply didn't know. the other three quarters got it right. maybe it's all time we dust off those history books for a little refresher. 1776 and who were we fighting from? great britain. you knew that right? the famous coney island hot

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july 4th is a day for fireworks, it's also a good eating day. we all know that nathan's famous hot dog eating contest is a holiday tradition. just a couple hours ago, joey chestnut won for the fifth straight year. for competitive eaters, this is just one of dozens of contests.

they chow down on everything from cupcakes to corn, deep fried asparagus to rocky mountain oysters. we wanted to put the question to our extreme team. on the team, the select prestigious team is sirius xm radio host pete dominick and kat kinsman. do you think these contests should be banned? >> if you like i have been in the splash zone while a cardiac surgeon is trying to keep down his 12th matza ball you are never going to want to participate in one of these as long as you live. >> what's the harm?

>> i can't imagine what the harm could be. how dare you ask should they be banned. this is american exceptionalism, eating 62 hot dogs in 10 minutes. it's like giving the middle finger to the third world. look how much food we have? >> do you think the ama has no real sense of humor when it comes to this? are they taking this sport too seriously? it's not as if this is anything new. you go back to the ye olde pie eating contest at the fair. it's just injecting a little bit of showmanship. i think once a year it's okay. >> exactly. those of us not competitive eating we like to call it thanksgiving, when you have to sit back on the couch and let

the world pass you by. in a new study from the website tripadviser asked about what people thought of skimping clothing on the beach. 35 said no to the speedo. 29% said no to skimpy bikinis. it's okay for women to go topless, because men do. do you think there should be a dress code at the beach? what do you think about those speedos? thumbs up or down? >> well, it depends on if they've been in an eating contest first. i think it has to be all or nothing. if you have that one guy walking across the beach in a speedo, it's a little creepy. if you love what you have, show it off. no harm done. great body image. >> what do you think, am i going to see you walking around the beach in a speedo? >> i live by a double standard. i go to europe every year, when i am in italy, i do rock the

mankini. let's call it something else, speedo is a corporate name. equality, women get to be comfortable, that sand gets just as uncomfortable for men as it does for women. america needs to get over its obsession with masculinity and let us wear tight shorts at the beach and the pool. >> well, skinny bikinis, aren't you supposed to be able to wear skinny bikinis at the beach? >> well, you know, i'm seeing just as many of the gentleman out there who could use a bikini top as the ladies. i think if we all just had a healthier notion about bodies and what is right -- a lot of people look somehow less scandalous naked than they do when they're wearing a bikini

top. it all dependses on the body image. >> it's not what they wear, it's what they do. i was just at the public pool, a lady with a clipping her finger nails. if i'm at the beach, give me about six feet of space. wear whatever you want but don't do whatever you want. that's the problem i have. you can always look away otherwise. >> you still have to maintain a little bit of dignity is what you're saying. pete, we'll look forward to seeing knew that mankini. kat, thanks so much. you guys enjoy the rest of the fourth of july. a special fourth of july celebration at the white house. naturals from purina cat chow. delicious, real ingredients with no artificial flavors or preservatives. naturals from purina cat chow. share a better life.

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time now for a cnn political update and cnn political correspondent dan lothian joining us now. busy day or relatively quiet? >> reporter: it's always a busy day here at the white house. we're working so that makes it busy. this is a tradition that takes place here. the president inviting members of the military and their family members here. out on the south lawn, they get to listen to music, concerts, get to watch the fireworks on the south lawn, eat good food at the bbq. and members of the administration, their family members invited to the event.

president obama will be making brief remarks later this evening. as they've been setting up for this, cleanup crews have been busy cleaning up out here on the north lawn when a big storm came through last night knocking branchs off the tree, making one tree behind me a little dangerous. they've had to cordon off an area, where you have to change how we enter the white house because of the possible danger of that tree coming down. white house producer emily shultz took pictures at the white house. they've had to do a little cleaning up as they're getting ready for the military families to get ready to come to the white house today? >> the military families deserve the best. congress back to work tomorrow on possible debt deal, where do things stand there? >> send it back tomorrow on wednesday. house members return. still at odds you hear republicans say no tax hikes. they don't want -- they want much dpe